What Logsplitter Should I Buy???

I got into the wood industry 3 years ago during an ice storm when i was only 12. I had never even touched a chainsaw before but because of my dad living 300 miles away I really had no choice. (during the next month after that i learned a great deal about the do's and dont's of chainsawing with a remington 16 inch electric saw, sawing and splitting six cords of wood total from that storm) Some of you may think im insane but ive sorta fallen in love with anything having to do with wood, whether it be splitting, sawing, hauling, dragging. I now own 4 chainsaws(a homelite 150Super:sits in its case with a bad clutch, craftsman 16":sit in its case cause its 25 years old, husky 45, and my big bad mcculloch timberbear). srry for the long sotry but i just want people mto understand that i know what im doing and that im serious. ok so anyways enough with the life story.

i have moved on from just fun wood production to house heat and firewood sales so i am in need of a power splitter because the maul just doesnt cut it. noise and fumes arent a problem as i dont like being inside so gas is for me. i have borrowed a brave 20 ton splitter from friends that is 20+ years old and it runs fine. i would like to find one but have had any luck. i know that troy-bilt, huskee, timberwolf, swisher, and iron and oak make half decent ones. i have about a $1000 limit but maybe a little more with the mom's help. i will split atleast 10 cords next year and burn about 3 or 4 myself each year. i pcikup only hardwood(mostly oak, maple, and cherry.) and split wood sometimes as big as 24+ inches.

i would hopefully find one that is road towable so i could split wood on site if i needed to.(max. tow distance would be 30 miles there and back). and i deffinetely want horizontal/vertical as an option. i would also like one that locks in the vertical position unlike the huskee and swisher models at TSC do. time is money.

-john deere lt 150(no one has convinced me its not a farm tractor) 2000 hours and still going. it's part of a commercial lawn service. have a snowplow/bagger for it and...its my log hauler
-McCulloch Timberbear (20 inch)
-husqvarna 45-currently broken, absolutely no urge to fix...i want a stihl, or a dolmar(14 inch, screams wimpy wimpy when it sees the bear)
-unused need to sell homelite p.o.s...finally sold it
-enough chain and tow strap to hang every terrorist in the
world
-man-you-all-splittter: 6 pound maul, 10 pound maul, wedge/sledge
-THE REASON FOR ALL THIS MADNESS: "Fisher something" Stove

There were a couple really good posts on splitters a couple months ago, including a thorough discussion of the relative merits of Horizontal/vertical versus horizontal only. You can read all about my love of the horizontal splitter with a 4-way wedge in one of those threads, if you care to.

I think few will disagree that the TSC Huskee splitter is probably about as much bang for the buck as you're going to get, unless you live nearby to a Northern Tool store and can pick the unit up and avoid the shipping cost. If you wish to have a splitter capable of being locked in the upright position and the TSC splitter is incapable of that, it should be easy enough to fabricate a locking mechanism with some steel, a grinder, and a welder.

Deals on used splitters are, sadly, few and far between. Unlike many other pieces of outdoor power equipment, people don't generally buy splitters on a whim, but rather because they need one. So until their need ceases to exist, it is unlikely that they're going to be liquidating their splitter at a substantial loss. I tried to find one for months, and finally gave up when I got a killer deal on a Timberwolf.

As for towing the splitter, I don't know what folks are thinking when they set out with their splitters behind their trucks. It is an accident waiting to happen, frankly. Even when being towed behind a farm tractor down a country two-lane road, the splitter is bouncing all over the place every time it hits a crack in the pavement.

CCB,
You are an impressive young man and I'm proud of you and you achievements. Man, I wish there were more like you around! I know what you mean by the fact that you just like to be around and work with wood. it's in your blood and a hard thing to explain to outsiders. I'm a pit master and have been cooking bbq over real hardwood for 32 years. I'm a dying breed...everyone is going to gas fired pits with wood for smoke flavor. It ain't the same. It makes me sad. Anyway, there are a LOT of folks here that feel as you do. Even though I really can't help you on the log splitter and the features you want for $1000.00 or so, I'm sure the ol'boys will kick in here and solve your problem. No doubt about it. I have a couple of splitters and I like them a lot, but they are not the type you are looking for. Like I said, the gang will be to your rescue soon. Good luck, my young friend, and a Merry Christmas.

You're off to a great start CCB.
I have to second what computeruser said. Take a look back in the gear section and read some of the threads on splitters that have been posted recently. There was a good review of the Harbor Freight splitter, I added a lot of information on my North Star (Northern Tool) and some observations I made while shopping.

While I agree that the ability to split vertically is important, I would bet that you'll use it less than you think (especially at your age). Mine will do both (and does lock in the vertical position) and I can count on one hand, make that one finger, the number of times I've used it vertically in the last two years.

As for towing, get a trailer and load it in there or put it in the bed of the truck. Those things just aren't made to be towed anywhere but around the woodlot in my opinion. They have no suspension and many have the axles (or what passes for axles) welded directly to the hydro tank. With as much time as they spend crashing back down to the road and then taking off again, I've got to believe that the tank will stress and eventually crack.

Living not too far from Briggs' HQ and generally being a buy American advocate, It's hard for me to say, but I'm partial to the Honda engine. It starts and runs very well, only slightly edging out Briggs for my number one choice.

Based on my experience, if there's a Northern Tool close to you, I would check out the North Star. I paid just under $1,000.00 for mine and really don't have any complaints. The one knock I do have is that it was not made with a filter for the hydraulic fluid. That's an easy retrofit though and the other features outweighed that one drawback. A few of the other things that I liked about this one vs the competition were (in no particular order), auto return, auto throttle control, log cradle, the way the wedge mounts to and rides the I beam, the shape of the wedge, the position of the controls and the position of the pump.